


fame < infamy

by RazzRazzRazz



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: Angst, Friends to Lovers, Love, M/M, Romance, Tour, Van Days, it takes place before take this to your grave, they're both just stubborn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27982947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RazzRazzRazz/pseuds/RazzRazzRazz
Summary: "God, this is really pathetic, isn't it..?" Pete mutters and he sighs softly. Patrick looks down at his feet, nodding slowly."Maybe it is, but we're doing this for a reason..." He answers and Pete sighs, leaning against the wall, right next to Patrick."Yeah, you're right... And maybe one day we'll be able to afford those 5-star hotels and have a huge tour bus."
Relationships: Patrick Stump/Pete Wentz
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. the motel room

Pete lay across the middle row of the battered van, his eyes closed and his head resting on Joe's thigh. Patrick and Andy were arguing about something in the front, as they drive down the deserted highway in Arizona. It was far into the night, and Pete wished they were in a motel right now, just so that he could get some sleep. But as far as he knew, they were lost in the middle of nowhere.

He slowly opens his eyes, just looking up at Joe, who looked aggravated. "We shouldn't have let Patrick drive," Joe mutters and Pete nods slowly.

"I know," he replies, only half-awake. He just looks at Pete and Andy, wishing they would just shut up because he wanted to sleep. He slowly closes his eyes again, shifting a little and getting comfortable again. He would just try and ignore the bitching going on in the front.

"Just admit that we're lost!" Andy suddenly yells, the loud sound sounding harsh in the small space and Pete can't help but flinch a little.

"Do you even have a map?" Andy continues and Patrick groans. "Just shut up, Andy!" He retaliates.

Pete frowns, seeing that Andy was just trying to mask his concern. It was pitch black outside, and Pete knew that they wouldn't really be able to see anything until it was starting to get light outside. They could also just keep driving until they stumbled upon a motel, but who knew how long that still going to take.

"Maybe we should just pull over," Andy says and Patrick rolls his eyes, doing as he's told. He just stops the car on the side of the road and throws the keys in Andy's lap. Joe sits up a little, climbing in between the front seats.

"Okay, let's switch seats. Pete needs some rest, I can drive."

Andy rests his head against the window and hums softly. "Fine! That's fucking better anyway because Pete got us lost in the middle of fucking nowhere!" He snaps and Pete glares at him before getting out of the van and slamming the door shut.

Joe gets out too and Patrick just tugs on Pete's shirt, wanting him to sit down already, so he could finally go to sleep.

"C'mon here, Pete... I need a pillow."

Pete smiles softly and sits down in the back, resting his head against Patrick's, as soon as Patrick rests his head on Pete's shoulder.

"You're comfy," Patrick mumbles, closing his eyes, and Pete giggles a little before looking at Patrick with a soft smile. He runs his fingers through his hair and closes his eyes. He looks up again when Patrick giggles softly.

"What is it?" He asks, slightly confused and Patrick shrugs. "I just haven't been this comfy in weeks..."

They both stay quiet for a second, after that before Patrick starts smiling fondly. "Your eyes look very nice," he mutters and Pete blushes slightly.

Before he can answer, though, Patrick yawns softly and leans against him again, before slowly falling asleep. Pete just looks at him for a while before he rests his head back against the headrest and closes his eyes too. When he opens them again, they're parked in a motel parking lot and he looks around in confusion. Patrick is still asleep on his shoulder, drooling a little and Pete smiles softly.

Andy and Joe come walking up to the van, opening the trunk and Pete gives them a confused look.

"We got two rooms with double beds," Andy says, grabbing his suitcase, and Pete nods.

"You and Patrick can share a room," Joe says when he grabs his suitcase too before he closes the trunk again and opens the door instead. He hands Pete the key to the room while Andy walks to their room already and Pete looks at the number on the key.

He and Patrick were going to share room 27.

"Patrick... Pat..." Pete mumbles softly, nudging Patrick's arm and Patrick looks up at him sleepily. 

"Hey, we're at a motel. Let's go to our room."

Patrick nods, sitting up slowly and he stretches slightly.

"Yeah, I'd like to sleep in a bed. Let's go," he answers and Pete gets out of the van, grabbing both their suitcases before looking for their room. Patrick walks after him, still half-asleep and when Pete stops in front of their door, Patrick walks into Pete accidentally.

"Sorry..." He mutters, but Pete just smiles and shakes his head. "You're still really sleepy, don't worry about it," he answers, unlocking the door.

As soon as he steps in, a nauseating mixed scent of sweat, alcohol, cigarettes, and probably mold makes him gag. Patrick coughs a little, putting his sweater over his nose and mouth.

Both men look at the bed in silence, probably wishing that they'd stayed in the van. The bed only had one greyish white sheet covering the mattress, which was barely big enough for two people and there was a blanket lying on the end of the bed. As soon as Patrick spreads it out, the brownish-red stains are visible and Patrick immediately drops it.

"Oh my god..." He mutters, horrified. Pete frowns, walking into the bathroom before turning around immediately and putting a chair in front of the door.

"We're not going in there. There are rats..." He mutters. Patrick groans, carefully sitting down on the bed. The mattress creaks loudly and Pete sighs.

"Well, it's not like we can afford better..." He says and Patrick nods.

"I've got some towels in my bag... We can lie on those and use them as blankets?" He offers and Pete hums in agreement.

"Good idea... We're going to have to brush our teeth outside, by the way. There are probably still a few water bottles in the van."

Patrick nods. He opens his suitcase and grabs a few towels.

"They're dirty towels, but everything is better than those sheets..."

Pete nods before he walks to the van and grabs two half-full bottles of water. When he walks back, Patrick has changed into some sweatpants and a sweater, and Pete can't help but smile softly.

"You look so comfy..." He says before he even thinks about it and Patrick blushes a little.

"Y-Yeah, I uhm... it's warm, you know..?"

Pete nods and hands him a bottle of water.

"I'll go and get changed now..." He says and Patrick nods, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste before he walks outside. While he's brushing his teeth, he hears Andy and Joe laughing in their own room. He frowns a little, wondering if their room was just a gross as his and Pete's was.

He leans against the wall, looking at the floor. Sometimes he wondered if this whole band thing was going to work out, or that he and the others were just wasting their time, trying to make it in the stone-cold music industry.

"Hey," Pete says when he walks outside and Patrick looks up at him, smiling softly.

"Hi," he answers, his speech slightly muffled by the toothbrush. He stays quiet after that, spitting the toothpaste into the drain before washing it down with some water.

"We've really hit the peak rock'n'roll lifestyle, haven't we?" Pete mutters and Patrick can't help but giggle, watching the toothpaste slowly go down the drain and he shakes his head.

"We really did... It's all downhill from here!" He jokes and he just takes a sip of the water before spitting it out again.

"God, this is really pathetic, isn't it..?" Pete mutters and he sighs softly. Patrick looks down at his feet, nodding slowly.

"Maybe it is, but we're doing this for a reason..." He answers and Pete sighs, leaning against the wall, right next to Patrick.

"Yeah, you're right... And maybe one day we'll be able to afford those 5-star hotels and have a huge tour bus."

Patrick nods enthusiastically. "Yeah, and we'll play for lots of people, not just 20 strangers who just so happen to have walked into the venue we're playing at..."

"We'll have that someday," Pete says.

Suddenly a door opens somewhere in the hotel and Patrick looks up.

"Can y'all just shut the fuck up?!" Someone yells and Patrick looks at Pete with big eyes. Pete tries his best not to laugh, pulling Patrick along with him into their own room and closing the door behind him.

"Damn, okay..." He mutters and Patrick smiles.

"Yeah, we should've probably been quiet," he says and Pete nods.

"Let's go to bed..." He mumbles, rubbing his eyes, and Patrick hums in agreement, sitting down on his side of the bed. The mattress immediately creaks again and Patrick physically cringes, as he lies down on the towel and pulls the other towel on top of him.

When Pete sits down, the bed doesn't even budge.

"Jesus, I might as well sleep on the floor..." He says to himself and Patrick giggles slightly.

"The rats would be able to get you quicker that way," he jokes, but Pete can hear the slight sadness in his voice.

"Yeah... I can't wait for the 5-star hotels..."


	2. just a sick metaphor

When Pete wakes up, the next day, Patrick is already packing his suitcase. He’s focused on making everything fit and Pete just looks at him for a few minutes, not saying anything. He simply didn't have anything to say and his friend seemed to be busy packing anyway.

When Patrick gets up and turns around, he jumps a little before giggling. 

“Good morning, Pete,” he says softly and Pete hums in response, too tired to say anything. 

“How are you feeling?” Patrick continues, grabbing the towels he’d slept with that night and Pete clears his throat softly. 

“I feel like I got hit by a bus...” He says softly, sitting up a little and groaning. When he stretches, his back cracks a little, and Pete sighs softly. 

“What time is it?” He asks and Patrick looks at his watch. 

“It’s 7 am, you can go back to sleep if you want. I was just going to go to the vending machine and get some breakfast for everyone.” 

Pete nods, sitting up completely and he cracks his neck a little before rubbing his eyes. 

“I’m not even getting changed for the car ride,” he says softly and Patrick shrugs. “Neither am  I; you guys have seen me in my pajamas before.” 

Pete nods and gets up, opening the curtain to look outside. A few dead moths fall down onto the windowsill and Pete stares at them. For some reason, he felt like it was some sick metaphor and the universe was trying to mock him. He felt like that a lot, lately. Like the universe was just mocking him and was telling him to stop trying so hard. 

“I’m going to the vending machine,” Patrick says, opening the door, and Pete nods, closing the curtain again. As soon as Patrick closes the door behind him, Pete kicks the bedpost and groans loudly. He just wished the universe didn’t do everything to make things harder for him. 

When Patrick comes back, he’s carrying several chocolate bars and some cans of coke. 

“I know it’s not a lot, but it’s something,” he mutters, putting it down on the small side table and Pete nods, not saying anything. Patrick doesn’t seem to notice, though. 

“Alright, I’m going to see if Andy and Joe are awake, and then we can all eat together. Andy and I still need to talk. Because fights like that are really not good for anyone, especially not if we have to spend another 8 hours in the van together before we get to Las Vegas.” 

Pete hums softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He really didn’t feel like talking to anyone, if he was honest. Patrick sighs softly, just walking out of the room, and a few seconds later, Pete hears talking in the room next to him.

“We’ll be there soon,” he hears very faintly and he sighs softly, just rubbing his eyes before he takes in a deep breath, trying to get some fresh air. Instead, the penetrating smell of the room just makes him gag again and he groans softly. 

Patrick walks back into the room and grabs his suitcase. “They’ll be here soon, I’m just going to bring my suitcase to the van,” he says while grabbing the keys of the side table. 

Pete nods. “Wait, let me just go with you,” he says, getting up and stuffing his things into his own suitcase before rushing after Patrick. 

Patrick smiles at him softly, giggling a little when Pete trips over his shoelaces. He grabs Pete’s hand, to keep him balanced and Pete blushes badly, not really knowing why. He just chalks it up to being sleep-deprived and feeling weird, before brushing it off.

“Don’t fall!” Patrick says, giggling a little, and Pete smiles at him, squeezing his hand softly. Patrick squeezes it back before he lets go of his hand again. Pete just clears his throat a little, running his fingers through his hair and just trying to seem casual. His heart was racing and his hands had gone clammy. He really was sleep-deprived.

Patrick tries to lift his suitcase into the van, not being able to lift it high enough, so Pete grabs the suitcase instead and puts it in the van for him, smiling when Patrick giggles a little. 

“It seems 10 pounds heavier than last night!” He says and Pete giggles too. 

“Ahh, yeah, sure! That's it!” He says and he puts his own suitcase in the van as well. When they’re walking back to the motel room, Andy and Joe come out of their room, talking softly and waving when they see Patrick and Pete approach them. 

“Hey, guys!” Pete says, smiling and he opens the door to the room again. 

“I don’t have a lot for breakfast, but it has lots of sugars, so we’ll have some energy,” Patrick says as everyone walks in and he grabs a chair. Pete and Joe sit on the bed and Andy just leans against the wall, looking a bit upset. 

Patrick just hands everyone a chocolate bar and a can of soda before he sits down. 

“Andy, don’t you want to sit down??” Pete asks and Andy shakes his head, just opening the can. For a few seconds, the fizzing of the soda is the only sound in the room.

“Okay, I don’t like how tense everything is,” Joe says, breaking the silence and he just looks at the others. “Patrick, Andy, you guys need to apologize to each other, okay? We were all tired and upset and this shouldn’t fuck up the rest of the tour!” He continues and Andy nods. 

“Yeah... Patrick, I’m sorry that I yelled at you last night...” He says and Patrick gives him a soft smile.

“I’m sorry too... I really am. I didn’t mean to get us all lost and I should’ve just accepted your help...”

Andy smiles too and just hugs Patrick softly before stepping back and sitting down on the floor. 

“Okay, anyways... Thanks for getting us all something to eat,” he says, eating his chocolate bar and he just hums softly. 

“Really, it's the healthiest meal we’ve had in a while…” Pete mutters and the others giggle softly, nodding in agreement. 

“Yeah, definitely… I think my organs are shutting down with the amount of junk food we’re eating…” Patrick says and Pete can’t help but smile. 

“Damn, the rock -‘ n’-roll lifestyle is really already getting to you…” 

Patrick nods, drinking his grape soda and he just looks at his lap. 

“Okay, we only got 7 more hours to go until Vegas a-and then we’ll be playing our biggest show yet…” Joe says, getting up from the bed. The room is filled with the awful creaking sound again and Pete closes his eyes. 

“Yeah, let's hope people actually show up…” He speaks. The others just stay quiet, thinking about the same thing. It was really their biggest fear, the entire tour. During their first concert, there had been a total of 6 people. One of which was their tech guy and during the show 4 people had left, leaving one drunk girl behind. 

“You know, as long as even 10 people show up  _ and _ stay during the entire show, I’m fine with it,” Andy says, pushing his glasses up his nose. 

“Let’s go, we got a long way to drive,” Joe says, throwing his empty soda can into the small trashcan in the corner of the room and walking out. The others follow quickly. 

When they get to the van, they all just look at each other for a second. 

“Okay, who is the least tired?” Pete asks, looking around. “Because I don’t want to crash the van… We’ll get in a lot of trouble with the rental place and we need that deposit back.” 

“I’ll drive,” Patrick says, smiling softly and the others look at him in silence. 

“I won’t get us lost again, this time… I swear,” Patrick adds. 

“It was late and incredibly dark, last night… I think Patrick can drive,” Pete says softly and the others nod. 

“Yeah, alright,” Joe says, climbing into the back and Andy sits down next to him. Patrick walks to the driver’s side of the car. Pete immediately gets comfortable in the passenger seat, just closing his eyes and leaning against the window. 

He just wanted to take a nap. 

\-- 

“I loved you since I knew ya, I wouldn’t talk down to ya,” Patrick sings softly, waking Pete up. Pete looks around for a second, seeing that they were still driving on a boring highway in the middle of nowhere. Roxanne, by The Police, is playing on the radio and Patrick's softly singing along with it. 

“Good morning, Pete,” Patrick says, glancing at him and smiling a little before he continues singing along to the song. Andy and Joe were talking in the back, but Pete wasn’t really interested in whatever conversation they were having. He just looks outside, listening to the song before he grabs the notepad they kept on the dashboard. 

He just wanted to write down some feelings because he could feel it all become too much again and last time that had happened, he'd cried to Joe about how unfair it was that people left kittens and puppies by the side of the road. It was something he still hadn't lived down. He just writes everything he was feeling down, mainly focusing on his fear that the band wasn’t going to make it, or that he would lose all his friends while trying to make it in the industry. 

While writing, Joe and Andy start talking to Patrick about what they could do for dinner, that night. They didn’t have that much money and they would get some more next week, but they really had to be incredibly frugal, if they wanted to have enough money for gas and a place to stay. Because they honestly really couldn’t keep sleeping in their van every single time. 

“We can probably find some cheap fast food, honestly...” Andy mutters and Joe and Patrick hum softly in response. 

“Yeah, that’s true... I just hope we get something different than what we’ve had the past four days... Fries are starting to make me sick...” Patrick answers and Joe giggles. 

“Me too! I used to like them but now they make me want to throw  up..! ” He exclaims. Pete just stays quiet, still writing. 

Patrick glances at him. “What do you want to eat, Pete?” He asks and Pete looks up from the notepad. 

“Hm?” He asks, confused, and Patrick giggles a little. 

“What would you like to eat tonight?” Joe asks, repeating the question and Pete just thinks for a few seconds. 

“Everything is fine but if I need to eat fries one more time, I am killing myself,” he answers before even thinking about what exactly it is he's saying. He gasps a little and puts a hand over his mouth. 

“That was a joke!” He says, despite not even being so sure about it. He knew it was ridiculous to end it all over a bunch of fries, of course, it was. But he wasn’t even too sure if he was joking, or not. The fries felt like another sick fucking metaphor. He just didn’t want more of the same thing over and over again. It was just tiring and depressing. Every single day was the same; they woke up, drove the entire day, ate the same shit food, and then they played a show for maybe 40 people max. It was really starting to get to him. All he wanted was to be seen by a record label, so they could record their album. All they had now was their EP, but Pete felt like maybe their album would be a breakthrough.

Deep down he knew that was stupid. An album wouldn’t immediately lead to success. 

“Pete, we literally just asked you what you wanted to eat... Please no jokes like that and just tell us what you want to  eat..? ” Joe says and Pete clears his throat. “I’d like some tacos or something. There’s vegetables in that.” 

Joe nods. “Good choice. I’ll go with that too!” 

Pete gives him a soft smile before he goes back to writing in his notebook. After a while, he feels himself grow tired yet again. He puts the notebook down, getting as comfortable as he can against the window, and closes his eyes. He really needed to sleep, if he wanted to play a good show tonight. 

The noises around him, from traffic to the soft conversation, slowly fade away, as he falls asleep. 

Patrick glances at him, smiling softly. 

“Sleep well, Pete…”


	3. welcome to the fabulous Las Vegas

The first thing Pete says when he wakes up, is the “welcome to the fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” sign and he looks around in confusion, as they drive down the boulevard, looking for a cheap hotel.

“Hey, sleepyhead. We’re there!” Andy says, poking Pete’s shoulder and Pete turns around, looking at him in slight confusion.

“Did I sleep for that long..?” He asks, his voice a bit hoarse with sleep and Joe nods.

“At one point, Patrick had to stop at the side of the road to make sure you hadn’t died, or anything… You slept through literally all four of our coffee breaks.”

Pete raises his eyebrows. “I thought I’d just take a nap for an hour, not that I’d worry the hell out of everyone by basically being dead!”

Andy giggles a little and pats his shoulder. “It’s cool, man. At least you’re well-rested now and that’s going to benefit everyone! No offense, of course.”

Pete turns around, looking at him with a skeptical glare. “Full offense, you mean?” He asks, smiling and Andy nods.

“Yeah…”

“I mean, hopefully you won’t say you want to die because of a bunch of fries… that seemed a bit excessive to me, honestly…”

Pete blushes badly. “I-I didn’t mean it like that..! I just... I don’t know- I wasn’t thinking when I said that, I just needed a nap.”

Patrick glances at Pete, a soft frown on his face and Pete glances back at him before looking out of the window again, scratching the back of his neck.

He didn’t feel like explaining the whole situation to the others.

“Anyway, we’re there, we survived the drive, and that’s the only thing that matters!” He says, instead and Joe cheers. “Fuck yeah, we did! Now let’s find a motel that doesn’t make me want to throw up, every time I breathe in.”

Patrick nods. “You guys should look  around; I have to watch the road.”

Everyone looks out of the window and after a while, Andy points at a motel. "That looks like it could be affordable for us and there's still vacant rooms,” he says and Patrick nods, pulling into the parking lot.

“Alright, let’s go check if the prices are doable,” Andy says, hopping out of the van and he walks towards the main building of the motel. Patrick rests his head on the steering wheel, whining a little.

“My head hurts after looking at the road all day,” he says and Pete pats his back.

“Poor Pat...” He says, a mischievous smile on his face and Patrick immediately glares at him.

“Don’t call me Pat..! You know I don’t like that!” He says, his voice defensive and Pete giggles.

“I know, that’s why I said it!” He replies and Patrick smiles softly.

“You’re lucky I like you, or I would get mad at you, right now!”

Pete gives him an amused look, pulling his knees up to his chest. “Oh, come on, what were you going to do then, Pat? You’re tiny!”

“Hey, you’re like, 1 inch taller than me! And what I would do is ask Joe to help me fight you!” Patrick says, sitting up and crossing his arms over his chest. He looks proud of himself, something that only makes Pete smile more.

Joe sits up, as he hears his name and he raises his eyebrows, not saying anything, yet.

“Joe would kick my ass any minute, honestly. I bet he’s just waiting for a reason to beat me!” He jokes and Patrick giggles.

“Yeah, that’s definitely it, honestly. But he’s just waiting to beat us all, except for maybe Andy! Because let’s be honest, none of us could win a fight against him...”

Joe gives Patrick an amused look. "The guy is absolutely ripped, honestly... He would be scary, if he wasn’t one of the sweetest people out  there..! ”

Patrick grins and nods. “Yeah, you’re right. He’s really sweet...”

Andy comes walking back, opening the door. “Okay, okay!! This is definitely in our price range!”

\---

“Hey, have you seen Pete?” Andy asks, looking backstage and Joe shakes his head, as he tunes his guitar. “Why?” He asks and Andy shrugs.

“I just wanted to talk to him about ‘the world’s not waiting’ because I was wondering if I could play it a bit differently, and he would need to know so the bass and drums don’t sound out of sync.”

Joe nods. “Alright, well, I saw him, but he’s arguing with Patrick about something and they both seemed really upset...”

Andy sighs and rolls his eyes. “Ten minutes before the show, that’s going to be fun on stage, tonight...”

“Yeah, it’s really going to be a lot of fun... Can’t wait for them to be all tense and fuck up the stage energy,” Joe answers before he puts his guitar down again and drinks some water.

“I'm not going to worry about it tonight, though. I just want to have fun tonight and I’m not going to let anyone get to me and fuck it up!”

Joe giggles and nods. “That’s the spirit. Now, I’m going to break them up and try and fix this mess before we go on stage for the 19  people I saw in the crowd tonight...”

He walks to the dressing room, knocking on the door roughly and Pete and Patrick both immediately look at him.

“What is it, Joe?” Pete asks and Joe sits down on the vanity they had.

“Well, why the Hell are you fighting??” He asks and Patrick shrugs. “We were just arguing about the fact that I don’t want Short, Fast, And Loud on the setlist anymore, but Pete insists that we should keep it because it’s a “fan favorite”. But it’s not and it’s hard to sing and it strains my voice!!” 

Joe nods slowly. “Well, we could replace it with that demo we wrote, Dead on Arrival! Not tonight, obviously, but maybe when we practice it some more, we could really improve it and see if people like it!”

“That’s what I said too!” Patrick says in a defensive voice and Pete crosses his arms over his chest.

“No! The song isn’t ready yet! God, you don’t even  _ want _ to understand me!!” Pete yells before he storms out of the dressing room and Patrick tears up badly.

“Are you okay, Patrick?” Joe asks and Patrick shrugs.

“I don’t know... he’s just being so rude to me, right now and it’s upsetting,” he answers. Joe nods and rubs his arm a little.

“We’re all just tired and it’ll be okay. We should go on stage right now, though.”

Patrick nods, wiping his tears away and taking a few deep breaths. “Let’s go... Andy said there were like, 20 people, already!”

Joe nods. “yeah, it’s pretty crowded! It’s really  cool to see!” He says in an excited voice and Patrick smiles.

“Let’s go!! I want to see it too!” He says and he walks out of the dressing room. Joe giggles and walks after him, happy that Patrick was feeling better. He didn’t like it when people were fighting and everything was tense between any of them.

When they get on stage, people start cheering and Patrick smiles widely, when they start their first song. He starts singing, looking at the crowd and his voice fails him for a second, as he feels a spike of anxiety go through him, but he shakes it off and keeps going.

After the song, he steps back a little and let’s Pete talk, not wanting any attention on himself. He liked it better when people paid attention to Pete and the others because he wasn’t too good at talking in front of crowds at all.

“Good evening everyone,” Pete starts, adjusting his microphone a little and he smiles. “Thank you all so much for coming out here tonight, we hope you’ll have fun. This next song is called “calm before the storm”.”

Andy counts down before they all start playing again and Patrick steps forward, towards his microphone. 

He starts singing again, smiling a little as he sees people moving along to the beat, but he just pulls his cap down and keeps singing. He didn’t want to look at the crowd too much because this song was so dear to him. He had written the second verse about some personal experiences and it was scary to share that with the world.

When the song ends, the crowd cheers and Patrick smiles even more. He could see some more people walking into the venue. He gasps softly. The thought of people coming in instead of walking out was something he hadn’t even really thought about. But they seemed to be doing something right.

They continue their set, giving it everything they’ve got and Patrick sees more and more people walking in, wanting to see what was going on and who was performing.

After the show, when they’re all walking to the dressing room, Patrick smiles widely. He was really excited, knowing that they’d started with a crowd of about 20 people and there’d been almost 50 people when they’d finished.

“Everyone loved it!” He exclaims and Joe smiles at him widely. “They really did!!! We sold 47 tickets, tonight and someone even bought the CD!!” He says. His voice was shaking with excitement and Patrick can’t help but hug him.

“We’re going to make it, Joe!!” He says and Joe pats his back softly.

“We are, Trick!” He answers.

When they’re in the dressing room, Pete collapses onto the couch, closing his eyes for a second. “That was really amazing...” He mutters and everyone hums in agreement.

“I am absolutely dead now, though... God, I just want to sleep,” Andy adds, yawning a little. 

“Me too... I think we all want to sleep, though. That was super tiring...” Pete says and Andy nods.

“It really was. But it was worth it!”

Pete simply smiles a little. He felt like things were going their way, like they were looking up and it made him relieved. Because the last thing he would want to do, was drag his friends down with him while they were accomplishing nothing.

“I still can’t believe someone bought our CD...” He says, “someone actually wanted to listen to our music again, that's  mind-blowing !”

“It really is... but someone liked it enough to actually want that...” Patrick mutters and Pete looks at him, his smiles faltering a little. He and Patrick hadn’t had a chance to make up yet.

“I’m sorry for earlier, you were right,” he says and he can see the surprise on Patrick’s face, before it melts into a soft smile.

“It’s okay, we both lost our temper. It’s all cool again now, though.”


	4. another motel room

They all get a few drinks at a nearby bar, after the show. They wanted to celebrate the amazing crowd they’d had. The adrenaline was still coursing through their veins and they're all talking a lot, except for Pete. Pete felt uneasy and sad, mostly because of the fight he'd had with Patrick earlier. He wasn't sure if he'd genuinely had a reason to yell at Patrick the way he’d done. He felt shitty about it now, but he didn’t know if he should still apologize to Patrick, or if he should just drop it.

He finishes his drink, clearing his throat a little, before getting up and walking outside. He knew the others were too busy talking and celebrating to notice that he was gone.

He takes a few deep breaths, just sighing softly, as the cold Nevada air fills his lungs, making him shiver. He always forgot just how cold it could get at night.

He rushes towards their van, wrapping his arms around himself tightly and when he gets there, he puts on the heating before lying in the back of the fan, slowly calming down a little and he stares at the ceiling. There were weird grey and brown stains on it, reminding Pete of the bedsheets of the bed they’d had the night before. He and Patrick really had a good conversation about their dreams and the things they wanted with the band, and it had made Pete really happy.

Because Patrick had been hopeful too. And that meant that he wanted what was best for the band too, just like Pete wanted. And it makes him realize that he really shouldn’t have been so rude towards Patrick about the setlist. Patrick was right anyway. The song was really hard to sing, and Pete should respect Patrick’s decision to not want to sing it anymore. Their band would be nothing if it weren’t for Patrick anyway, they wouldn’t be anything without any of the other band members.

Pete sighs softly, closing his eyes, dozing off just a little. When he opens his eyes again, Patrick is knocking on the window, a worried look on his face. Pete sits up, opening the door and Patrick immediately sits down next to him.

“Hey, you really worried me!” He says and Pete frowns. “Sorry, that was not my intention. I just needed a moment to think,” he explains and Patrick nods.

“That’s okay, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I am now. I uhm... I was just thinking about our argument, earlier and I think it would really be a good idea to change the setlist, after this tour! You were right, about what you said earlier and I wouldn’t want you straining your voice too  much...! ”

Patrick giggles a little. “Were you still thinking about that, Pete...?” He asks and Pete nods.

“Uhm, yeah, of course... It was important to me and I just... I was just overthinking. And I realize that this band is not only my passion, but it’s also yours, and Andy’s, and Joe’s. Because otherwise none of us would be here, on a Saturday night, freezing our asses off in a gross bar, or a beat-down van.”

Patrick giggles even more, covering his mouth with the sleeve of his cardigan and Pete stares at him in awe for a second. When he looks away again, he smiles and giggles too, the situation just now dawning on him. None of his friends would have come along all the way from Chicago to Las Vegas if they didn’t believe that the band could make it.

“Sorry for disappearing, all of a sudden,” he says and Patrick shrugs it off.

“Sometimes we just need a moment alone and it’s hard to get that when you’re stuck in a van with a bunch of people, most days. And right after that, you have to go on stage with them and then after that, you sleep in the same motel room. I get that you need some personal time, sometimes.”

Pete nods. “Yeah, sometimes I just start to go insane, you know?”

Patrick hums softly. “Yeah, me too, honestly. But it’s okay, soon enough we're going to be home again, and then we don’t have to see each other for a really long time,” he jokes, and Pete laughs a little, looking out of the window.

“Are the others coming soon?” He asks, not really looking forward to it. He just wanted to be with Patrick for a second because Patrick was calm and understanding.

“No, I said I’d call them, once I talked to you. I already called them to tell them I found you.”

Pete nods. “Okay then... I hope I didn’t worry you all too badly...”

Patrick hugs him carefully before pulling away again. “We were just a little worried, but I found you pretty quickly. I’m just glad you’re alright, and you’re not mad at me anymore. I felt a little bad about our fight. But now it’s okay again and we don’t have to mention it any more!”

Pete hums softly. “Exactly, everything is okay again! And I had some time to calm down again, so now I feel better. We should go back to the motel, soon.”

Patrick nods, grabbing his phone and flipping it open. He dials Andy’s number before looking at Pete. “I’ll tell Andy that we’re in the van and they can come back!”

Pete agrees and looks out the window again, waiting for Patrick // to finish his call before turning back to him.

“You know, sometimes I’m scared,” he says softly and Patrick frowns.

“I think we’re all scared, sometimes and that’s okay... life is scary and uncertain, but that’s honestly alright! Because you’ve got so many people who are there to help you and support you! Like me! I’m always going to be here to support you and I promise I’ll be here whenever you need me.”

Pete smiles softly. “Thank you, Trick... I really appreciate that. And I hope you know that I’m here for you too if you’re ever struggling.”

Patrick nods and leans against Pete’s shoulder. “Thanks...” He mutters before giggling a little. “Gosh, I’m so sleepy... The show was super tiring...”

Pete agrees, nodding a little and yawning. “It really was, honestly. It was a lot of fun, though. And you did super well!”

Patrick blushes a little and looks at Pete with a soft smile. “ So did you.”

After a while, there’s a soft knock on the window and the driver’s side door opens. Andy sits down.

“Hey, guys. Everything okay?” He asks and Patrick nods. “Yeah, we’re alright! We just had a little talk!”

Joe sits down on the passenger side, looking at Pete and Patrick before looking at Andy.

“I’m so fucking drunk you don’t even know,” he whispers loudly, making Pete laugh. Patrick giggles a little and Andy just shakes his head.

“oh my god, Joe... Drink some water, there are some bottles on the floor there.”

Joe nods, going to grab a bottle of water from the floor in front of him. He leans down, accidentally hitting his head on the dashboard and Pete snorts a little before putting his hand over his mouth.

“Oh my god, are you okay, Joe?” Andy asks, rubbing his back and Joe looks up at him, giving Andy a thumbs up.

“I’m cool...” He says and he opens the bottle of water, taking a few sips.

“This is warm, it’s so fucking groooosssss....” He mutters and Andy sighs softly. “Poor, poor man...” He mutters and Joe looks at him, nodding. “Yeah, I’m the poorest man ever!”

Andy giggles and rolls his eyes. “Okay, Joe... Let’s go to the motel now, so we can all sleep.”

He starts the van and starts driving. Pete looks at his lap for a while, too tired to talk. After a few minutes of driving in silence, he feels Patrick’s head against his shoulder and he glances at him, smiling a little as he sees that the latter had fallen asleep.

“Night  night , Trick...” He mutters and he pushes some hair out of Patrick’s face before realizing that he was probably overstepping his boundaries. He pulls his hand back and clears his throat, hoping no one had noticed it.

In the front seat, Joe was telling Andy a story about some girl he’d made out with, in the bar, and Andy is listening, nodding from time to time, but not saying anything. Pete knew that Andy probably disagreed. He didn’t like how Joe, and usually Pete, just found random women to hook up with, he said that it was degrading and sad that they’d resorted to sleeping with desperate women.

Pete didn’t really see the issue in it, though. If he saw a cute woman who was interested in him, he wouldn’t let a chance like that go. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d take a girl back to their van and though it wasn’t the most romantic place to have sex, he liked it. He liked the physical closeness; it reassured him.

“Okay, we’re there. Pete, can you carry Patrick into your room, he really needs his sleep, honestly,” Andy says after he parks the car. He turns to the back of the van, looking at Pete.

Pete nods. “Yeah, sure. If you can open the doors for me, I can do that.”

Andy gets out of the van and opens the door on Pete’s side, helping him get out without waking Patrick up. When he’s out of the van, Pete turns back to Patrick and picks him up carefully, carrying him towards their motel room in bridal style. Andy giggles softly and shakes his head.

“This shouldn’t look so funny...” He mutters and Pete smiles at him. 

“Shut up, Andy!” He says and Andy mocks him before opening the motel room door. Pete walks in, putting Patrick on one of the beds before pulling his shoes off.

“There...” He says, as he puts a blanket over his best friend and he smiles.

“Okay, can you manage with the drunk idiot in the van, or do you need me to help?” He asks Andy.

“Oh, I can manage, honestly! He’s tall, but weak when he’s drunk...” The drummer answers and Pete can’t help but laugh.

“Fair point. Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Andy nods and smiles before walking back to the van and Pete closes the door, making sure it’s locked before he walks over to the free bed and lying down in the middle of it.

He puts an arm under his head, yawning again and looking at the ceiling. This room smelled like bleach and fabric softener, something he really preferred over the repugnant smell of the last room.

On the bed next to him, Patrick gets more comfortable, muttering some inaudible words, and Pete giggles a little.

“Okay dude, whatever you say...” he says before he lies down on his side, pulling the bedsheets around himself and falling asleep too.


End file.
